How Mumblegore's Smart Young Misfits Are Revolutionizing Indie Horror Films

On the East Coast, a class of young filmmakers found critical acclaim directing microbudget dramas — mumblecore. But L.A.'s indie crew is carving a riskier path to lasting success with microbudget cerebral chillers. Call the movement mumblegore.

By eschewing cheap kills and studio interference, these 30-somethings are making films that expand the definition of horror. L.A.'s indie horror filmmakers are scared of a lot of traditional things: zombies, succubi, Satanists, sanity-scrambling TVs, haunted VHS tapes, killer bats, ghosts. But what scares them most are the small, wicked ways in which humans destroy each other. Under the surface of their films are everyday terrors: desperation, power, greed. Who needs monsters when you can make ordinary men act monstrous?